"A SEA FIGHT UNDER THE STARS"
By midnight both wind and sea had dropped considerably. At one bell the
castaways saw the schooner's fore-topmast staysail rise slowly as her
crew manned the halliards, and a second later her mainsail raised its
head.
Jack gave a quick look round, and then said sharply,
"In with that sea-anchor, boys; it's time we were flitting."
In a moment the inaction on the whaleboat turned to a keen, nervous
energy.
Hand over hand the oars were hauled alongside, and the sea-anchor got
in over the bows; then away they went to windward.
The boat lay over to it, heavily pressed under a close-reefed lugsail,
wallowing, splashing, crashing into the seas.
Jack, at the steering-oar, sailed her a "clean full," whilst the rest
of the castaways baled furiously.
All of a sudden a puff of white smoke flew away from the side of the
schooner, and the faint report of a gun reached them.
"A snot from his twelve-pounder amidships," said Jack calmly.
The ball screamed past overhead, and plumped into the sea a long way
off to windward.
"It'll be wild shooting in this jump of a sea," observed Bill.
"Shall I bring my pop-gun into action?" drawled Broncho almost
indifferently, as he fingered his Winchester.
"Yes, let him have it; he's not going to drop lead over us without
getting some back," returned the rover fiercely.
"Jump it into him, Broncho," cried the bluejacket eagerly.
"That I shorely will without any ondue delays," replied the cowpuncher,
and taking a rapid sight he fired.
"It ain't easy shootin' in this here turmoil," he muttered, watching to
see the effect of his shot. "Now he's scatterin' it loose," he went on,
as a whole volley blazed from the schooner.
"Twelve-pounder again and rifle-fire," commented the man-of-war's man,
as the bullets screamed overhead. "That vigorous josser will have to
lower his sights a bit if he aims to do us any damage."
"I allow that shot makes him chew his mane; he's gettin' some acrid.
He reckoned he was goin' to bluff us sports quick an' easy," muttered
Broncho, pumping another cartridge into his gun.
"Now, my frenzied hold-up!" he cried derisively, and fired again.
"Get into the firing-line, Bill," broke in their leader sharply.
The bosun's mate needed no second bidding, but seized his gun eagerly.
"'Ere's 'santy' to you, Mister Dago Charlie," he cried out, and he
pulled the trigger.
"Here she comes again!" yelled Jim, poking his head over the gunwale in
his excitement.
As the schooner fired, all the castaways, with the exception of Jack
steering, bobbed down in the bottom of the boat, as the latter cried:
"Lie low everybody," at the same time pushing Loyola down on to the
floorboards.
This time there was a dull thud aft.
"Hulled, by God!" burst out the bluejacket.
"Torn my only pair of dungarees," said Jack coolly. "Rifle bullet clean
through us."
"Not hurt, Jack?" asked Loyola piteously, her voice trembling.
"No fear, Lolie; just a graze, that's all."
"Chance shot!" remarked Bill. "What range is you sightin' at, Broncho?"
"Six hundred."
"Better make it five," advised Jack. "She's closed up on us a bit, but
the sea and wind are moderating every minute. Tari, come and take the
steering-oar. We'll bring all our battery to bear."
Whereupon the Kanaka changed places with Jack.
Seeing that he had utterly failed in his attempt to make the whaleboat
heave-to, the marooner now ceased firing for a spell; but having put
his hand in the fire, it was now too late to draw it out. It was his
life against theirs now, and he crowded sail in pursuit with desperate
purpose.
But the three riflemen in the whaleboat continued to pump lead in his
direction, hoping by a lucky shot to cool his ardour sufficiently to
make him sheer off.
Presently the schooner's maingaff dropped its peak.
"Halliards shot away!" exclaimed the rolling-stone.
Jim burst into a cheer.
"Easy, sonny, easy," said Bill gravely. "It's too early yet to begin
shouting."
The _Black Adder_ soon had her mainpeak hoisted again, but the
whaleboat's success was too much for the pirate's temper.
Her helm was put up, and as she fell off her whole side burst into
flame. The water was cut up all round the whaleboat by the shower of
lead. It flew over the castaways, whining and humming through the air,
and the boat quivered under the shock of three hits.
"Gee whiskers! Shrapnel!" exclaimed Bill concernedly.
"Slugs and pot-legs," agreed Jack, shaking off some blood which was
running down his hand. "Any one hurt?" he continued.
"Why, you are, Jack!" cried Loyola in great distress.
"Only a scratch on the arm," remarked the former carelessly.
"Let me bind it up."
"No time now, Lolie. Well-aimed broadside that; 'bout four hundred,
isn't it, Bill?"
"Aye."
"Plug those shot-holes if you can, Jim," went on the rover in a most
unconcerned voice.
He knew that things were looking serious, but the last thing he wished
to do was to show the boat's crew that he thought so.
"He shore cuts loose some lead that time," muttered Broncho. "The
kyards is comin' some swift. Thar's nothin' tender about that 'ere
maverick; he's plumb wolf from away back."
"More cartridges here, powder-monkey," laughed Bill cheerily to the boy.
Jim reached over to the bag, but Loyola was quicker, and held out her
two small hands with all they could hold in front of the bluejacket.
"Thank you, mum; I 'opes as 'ow you didn't think I wos a-callin' of you
a powder-monkey," said Bill, reddening.
"Why, don't you think I make a very good one?" smiled the intrepid
woman; then excitedly, as the schooner's deck showed, "There's Dago
Charlie! There he is, standing right forrard!"
All three rifles rang out.
The man sprang backwards and was hidden behind the bulwarks, but soon
reappeared brandishing a furious fist.
What with the difficulty of accurate shooting at night and in the rough
sea, neither side seemed to be doing much damage.
Jack, Broncho, and Bill Benson concentrated all their energies in the
endeavour to pick off the schooner's captain, who exposed himself
carelessly as he watched the whaleboat keenly through his binoculars.
"That 'ere dago is a heap too obvious on the scenery; if this boat
would quit pitchin' so lively, we'd stop his sin-encrusted play some
rapid," observed Broncho, as he took a long, careful aim.
"Two hours to daylight," muttered Jack, reloading. "I'd like to see him
sheer off before dawn."
"So should I," said Loyola softly.
The woman was behaving with rare courage, and took no more heed of the
flying lead than an old campaigner.
She and Jim had managed to plug all the shot-holes, and now that the
sea was smoother they were able to take a spell at the baling.
"Lolie, you're a brick. Pluckiest little woman I've ever met,"
declared the rolling-stone fervently, as he knelt beside her.
"Have we any chance, Jack?" she asked sadly.
"Why, of course! You don't want to give in, do you, dearie? I should
think you had seen about enough of the _Black Adder_."
"Me? I'd rather die than fall into the hands of Dago Charlie!" she
cried vehemently.
"I thought so," observed Jack, with a keen look of approval in his
eyes; and then went on almost gaily, "Then it's a fight to the finish,
isn't that so, boys? We won't give her up, will we? No surrender to
Dago Charlie for us?"
"Give her up? I'm a blasted grabby if we does any such thing," grunted
Bill scornfully.
"I should smile," drawled Broncho. "What kinder skunks do you-alls
think we is? I don't drop out o' this deal till my lamp goes out or
that pesterin' snake yonder pulls his freight."
"We're never goin' to give you up to that fiend, mum," chimed in Jim,
with a ferocious frown of valour on his face.
"Why," whispered the bluejacket under his breath to Jack, "the dago
mighty near marooned us without 'er; an' if 'e got us now, it'd be over
the side for us, and worse for 'er. 'E'll run no more chaunces like
last time."
"You're right, Bill," agreed the rover; "that's my opinion."
The wind had now dropped to no more than a strong breeze and was
veering into the north, and no longer coming in gusts.
The whaleboat sailed well, but was steadily being overhauled by the
schooner, which, however, was some way to leeward.
The _Black Adder_ now ceased firing, content with the knowledge that,
barring accidents, she was sure of her prey.
But for the man at the wheel, none of her crew showed above the
bulwarks, and after the castaways had wasted several rounds in a vain
attempt to hit the helmsman, Jack laid down his gun in disgust and said,
"Let's cease firing and wait till he's a bit closer. It's no use
throwing away ammunition like this."
"I agrees," assented Broncho. "As the kyards lay we-alls is simply
wastin' chips. We'll hold our hand some."
"It's the perishin' day he's waitin' for," grumbled Bill, putting aside
his smoking rifle and coolly filling his pipe. "He'll just keep station
till sun-up, an' then the oratorio'll begin to play again."
The pursuer and pursued now raced along broadside to broadside, less
than three cables' lengths separating them.
The _Black Adder_, though she was pinched up in the wind all she would
bear, would not look up as close as the whaleboat, though she went
faster through the water.
Jack's arm was now attended to and skilfully bound up by Loyola. A
bullet had simply grooved through the flesh--not much more than a
graze, but sufficient to cause a good deal of bleeding.
Jack, whilst his hurt was being doctored, thought hard. If something
were not done soon, Dago Charlie's obstinate perseverance would prevail.
"We'll worry him yet," began the rover.
"Shore, an' euchre him too," said Broncho confidently.
"The wind's light enough now to help us," went on Jack. "Let's try
some short tacking. We can go about three times to his one."
"That's good tactics, sure enough," commented Bill.
"Splendid!" cried Loyola. "Let's start at once."
"Right-oh! Ready about there, Tari. Bill, you ship an oar and help her
round. We three will manage the lugsail."
The castaways had the boat round smartly, and away they went on the
port tack, heading north-east.
The _Black Adder_ was completely taken by surprise, and lost some
valuable minutes before she followed suit and put her helm down.
Compared with the whaleboat, the schooner was a long time coming round.
Anxiously the boat's crew watched her as she rounded to with flapping
head-sails, bowing her glistening black hull to the long swell with
slow, dignified movements; then, as she felt the wind on the other
tack, she lay over and came smoking after them, a frothing streak of
white rolling away from her sharp stem.
She made a perfect picture for an artist as she cut through the
gleaming path of the moon, carved out in a hard, clean outline of jet;
and, forgetting her peril, Loyola could not help exclaiming upon the
beauty of the scene.
"Just look at her! What other work of man can approach a sailing-ship
for perfect grace and----"
"Ready about!" broke in Jack, with a queer smile and a muttered, "Sorry
to interrupt you, Lolie," and round came the whaleboat again.
This time the schooner was prepared, and as she swung in stays she sent
a ball from her twelve-pounder skipping after the chase.
The castaways saw the shot splash, and then with a whirr it
ricochetted over their heads and plunged into the sea beyond them.
"Good shootin', and that ain't no josh!" commented Bill Benson.
"You're shore right, son," agreed Broncho. "That shot comes plenty
close. This here Dago Charlie slings his scrap-iron too free an' easy:
an' though we disdains these fam'liarities o' his, I shore regrets
we-alls can't corral his game none. His scatterin' loose this-away is
a'most liable to make a Montana sheriff apprehensife an' gun-shy."
"He ain't hit us yet," spoke up little Jim bravely.
"If he does he'll let sunshine through us, like as if we was a
plate-glass winder," declared the cowboy.
Again the whaleboat tacked, and before the schooner got round, Tari
swung her up once more on to the original tack.
Confused by the rapid manœuvres of the whaleboat, the marooner
hesitated a moment too long whilst head to wind, and then starboarded
his helm in an attempt to fall off on to the port tack again. But he
was too late; the schooner had not enough way on her to respond to her
tiller, and in a moment she was all aback.
"My God! she's missed stays!" yelled the rover joyfully. "What luck!
What all-fired luck!"
"Shall we-alls burn some more powder on him?" proposed Broncho eagerly.
"I regyards this here as a speshul o'casion."
"I think we'd better hold on a bit, Broncho. The ammunition's none too
plentiful, and we'll want every cartridge presently," declared their
cautious leader.
"An' you thinks a show-down is some handy, Jack?" inquired the cowboy.
"Well, the wind's dropping fast; that's all in our favour."
"Perhaps he'll tire of this and sheer off before daybreak," broke in
Loyola wistfully.
"I allow he's too mean-strain an Injun to break away afore he's rattled
us some consid'rable more; but don't you fear, missy, we euchres him
some way on the final deal," declared Broncho cheerfully.
"You bet! The time's comin' when we'll wag our tails an' send 'im
navigatin' over the horizon quicker'n if a hornet's stung 'im," chimed
in Bill heartily.
Thus with hopeful talk did each hide a sinking heart.
Taking her hand in his, Jack looked long and lovingly into Loyola's
eyes.
"Whatever happens, dear, you and I will not be parted--that I swear,"
he whispered.
"Dear Jack," she answered fondly, and smiled back at him with a brave
spirit.
"If it comes to the worst, we'll board and carry the wretched
schooner," he went on valiantly. "Three white men, not to speak of you,
Jim, and Tari, ought to be able to settle the mixed rabble on that
pirate. Never fear, Lolie, we'll pull through somehow."
Fainter and fainter grew the wind as the dawn approached. Still the
whaleboat doubled before the persevering schooner like a hard-pressed
hare, and by well-timed manœuvring the castaways continued to hold
their own, though the marooner hung out every flying kite that would
draw.
Presently, with the magic quickness of the tropics, the dawn spread
gloriously over the east and dimmed the brightness of the stars.
In the whaleboat a fresh anxiety showed itself on every face as the
light of day grew swiftly.
Then, as Jack passed his hand wearily across his eyes and slowly shook
his head, a groan of distress broke out amongst the castaways.
"It's gone," whispered the rover hoarsely; then, groping clumsily
about, he slowly sank down in the bottom of the boat and sat there
miserably, with bent head and closed eyes.
A fierce oath burst from little Jim's lips, an oath such as he had not
used since the first days on the _Higgins_, and it started a flood of
lurid, blood-curdling blasphemy from the over-tried cowpuncher, whose
swearing vocabulary Bill Benson ably succeeded in providing with new
words.
This fiery avalanche of oaths fell unheard by the small ears of Loyola,
who, crouching by Jack's side, stared at the rover with dry, piteous
eyes, whilst Tari, inscrutably silent as usual, steered on with
twitching lips.
In the midst of it all, the sail flapped, then filled, then flapped
again; the last of the wind had gone, and the whaleboat lay rolling
on a long, glassy swell, which already the sun was covering with
glittering sparks, like a mass of diamonds on the Pacific's wonderful
blue.
The swearing ceased as suddenly as it had begun, and nothing broke the
silence in the whaleboat for some moments except the dreary flapping of
the lugsail.
Then Jack lifted his head and spoke:
"It's a flat calm, eh, boys?"
"A Paddy's hurricane clear down to the horizon," returned the bosun's
mate.
"The schooner's in it?"
"Aye, an' kotched it first. She's over three cables' lengths away now,
an' slewin' round without steerage way."
"By Jove, then, boys, we'll beat them yet," declared Jack excitedly.
"Out with the oars and let's put the horizon between us as soon as we
can. I can't see, but hang me if I won't show Dago Charlie I can row."
His words put fresh life into the castaways.
"You hits it, this time, old son, for shore," burst out the cowboy.
"This hand shall be played with renewed sperit, an' that on-tamed
wild-cat's goin' to be out-held, or I'm a sheepman."